7 Tips for an Eye-Catching Subject Line
An email’s subject line is just as important as the actual content, acting as its own mini-marketing campaign.
47 percent of recipients open emails based on the subject line.
Coming up with the perfect email subject line is as much science as it is art. Here are seven approaches that work:
- Ask a question. Pique your audience’s curiosity.
Example: “How can you increase e-commerce revenue in 2017?”
- Imply that the recipient isn’t good enough.
By suggesting the reader is flawed, you’re likely to induce them to open the email. Proceed with caution, though; there’s a fine line between grabbing people’s attention and insulting them.
Example: “Don’t make these 7 email subject line mistakes.”
- Identify with your audience. Get your recipient to identify immediately, saying, “Oh that’s me!” and open it.
Example: “Poor college student’s guide to healthy shopping!”
- Use a “cliffhanger.” People feel driven to resolve a conflict. If half the subject line is readableand it’s followed by an ellipsis, a recipient will feel compelled to open it to feel satisfied.
Example: “The secret to streamlining your workday is …”
- Be direct. Make a promisein the subject line, and deliver a solution in the body copy. Be concise and specific.
Example: “Increase your web traffic by 40 percent.”
- Get personal. Emails with personalized subject lines are 26 percent likelierto be opened. To a human being, nothing sounds sweeter than his or her name.
- Employ emojis. 56 percent of brands using an emoji had a higher unique open rate.
The effect of specific words will depend on your industry, goals, and calls to action.
What not to do:
Just as some words can be opening triggers in subject lines, others spur recipients to send it straight to spam. Avoid these:
- Phrases like “Winner!” “100 percent Free!” “Free Money!”
- Special characters
- Excessive punctuation
- Spelling errors
- ALL CAPS